Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Kayode Are, has formally presented his Letter of Credence to US President Donald Trump at the White House.
The ceremony took place on Thursday, May 21, and featured an honour guard mounted by members of the US armed forces, alongside officials from the State Department and staff of the National Security Council.
Eleven other newly accredited ambassadors also presented their credentials to the US President during the ceremony, including representatives from South Africa, Chad, Chile, Yemen, Australia and Kyrgyzstan.
President Bola Tinubu approved Are’s appointment in January 2026, following Senate confirmation of his nomination in December 2025.
Military and academic background
Born in 1955, Kayode Are is a retired Nigerian Army Colonel, intelligence officer and former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), now known as the Department of State Services (DSS).
He is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most experienced intelligence professionals, with a career spanning more than three decades in military intelligence and national security administration.
Are began his military training at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) as part of Regular Combatant Course 12, graduating among the top 10 cadets and being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in December 1974.
He also distinguished himself academically, earning a First Class Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980, where he graduated as the best student and received multiple academic awards, including the University Senate Prize, Faculty of Social Sciences Prize and Department of Psychology Prize.
He later obtained a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos in 1987.
In his military career, Are served in the Directorate of Military Intelligence, rising to the rank of Colonel before his compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army in 1993.
Following Nigeria’s return to democratic rule, he was appointed Director-General of the State Security Service in May 1999, a position he held until August 2007, making him the longest-serving head of the agency.
During his tenure, he served under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and later went on to serve as Deputy National Security Adviser, contributing to national security coordination and intelligence management at senior government level.
Widely respected in security circles, Are is recognised for his extensive experience in both military and civilian intelligence operations spanning more than 33 years in Nigeria’s security architecture.
